Julius Raphael's Diary

A Novel by

Andrew Lansdale

Property in the bricks and mortar sense,
has a definite feel to it. To use modern phrases, it can have either good vibes
or bad vibes. Some properties feel as if the sunlight has danced on their roofs
and dappled their walls since the day they were built. By contrast, others have
a most unattractive feel about them. A considerable number even feel as if
someone has died there the day before. The cold dankness of them can be felt
from across the street.

I believe in
what might be called the 'properties of property'; but can a house be a
character in a book? A house can certainly have character. Fictionally,
Howard's End and Mandalay
had character. Factually, the BloodyTower in London
has character, despite the unspeakable cruelties committed within.
Paradoxically, Wandsworth prison (a similar place of incarceration) has the
chill damp feel of November about it, even upon a summer's day.

The house in
my book in France
has character. The Maison du Lac is a Chateau with a soul. The Chateau on the
lake has memories and secrets to unlock. The bigger the
houses, the bigger the secrets.

The other main
character in my book is George Campbell, new owner of the Chateau. Unusual
discoveries lead him gradually to the house's deep secrets and he feels
challenged when tracking down the previous owners of the Maison du Lac in an
effort to restore the family's plundered heritage.

The novel
opens in wartime France
where the Germans have occupied more than half the country and the iron grip of
the SS is tightening.

The Raphaels
are a Jewish family who have a modest Chateau in the French countryside. They
are the last descendants of a wealthy Paris
banking family and are victimised by the Gestapo and eventually, the family
disappears.

Over fifty
years later, a moderately successful writer George Campbell sells the film
rights to one of his books. With the proceeds he tours France on the
lookout for a country house. After a long search, he finds the fairy tale
property which has lain empty and neglected for many years.

These two
characters, the chateau and the writer, combine to discover the fate of the
Raphaels.